Voivode - Russia

Russia

Voyevodas in Russia were the appointed administrators responsible for the regional administration, initially in charge of some military unit that defended the region (usually uyezd). The title has a close similarities with the Markgrave of the Holy Roman Empire, meaning the ruler of border territories (see Mark). The title of voyevoda became more regular from about 1550 and was divided between Regimental and City Voyevoda. Voyevoda (singular) was appointed by the Tsar's Prikaz and confirmed by the Boyar Duma (the advisory state institution to tsar) for the length of two to three years.

At first that position was assigned to the administrators of border territories and was similar to the later Russian Governorate-General. As the territory of the Russian State expanded the position was somewhat degraded for the territories that drifted away from the international borders. The voyevodas filled a power vacuum left by the Time of Troubles. The early Romanovs (1613–82) gave all their judicial and police powers to the voyevodas in an attempt to reform them, but problems remained, as their powers became too broad and invited corruption. In 1621, the voyevodas were forbidden by Tsar Michael to take bribes as this had become a problem. Despite this, the administration remained chaotic until Peter the Great's reforms replaced the voyevodas with Burgmesters (Burgomasters, after the German) to collect the taxes.

From about 1550, a Russian Voyevoda was an official with both civil and military powers. He was originally a military commander but on the frontier, civil and military could not easily be separated. The first peace-time voyevoda (in place of the older urban Namestnik and rural Volostel) was probably that of Murom in 1547 facing the Kasimov Khanate. As Russian frontier expanded, by the 1570s and 80s voyevodas appeared at Kazan, Astrakhan, Kaprivna, Rylsk, Arkhangelsk, Voronezh and other places.

Since the earliest Russian entry, Siberia was administered by voyevodas. They were appointed to each significant town by the special Siberian Prikaz usually for a term of two years. Towns and voyevodas were grouped into razryads under a principal town. Originally this was Tobolsk for the whole of Siberia. Tomsk was split off in 1627, Yakutsk in 1638 and Yeniseisk was separated from Tomsk in 1676 or 1677. Verkhoturye, which was the chief Siberian customhouse, was its own razryad from 1687 to 1693.